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Samsung IP head boosts BKL

The hire of a former judge from Korean technology giant Samsung has brought significant experience of patent disputes to Bae, Kim & Lee in Seoul.

South Korean firm Bae, Kim & Lee has brought significant intellectual property (IP) expertise on board with the hire, late last month, of Samsung vice president and head of IP Ki Joong Kang.

Samsung is South Korea’s largest Chaebol (conglomerate), accounting for up to a fifth of its economy and consisting of numerous businesses, including shipbuilding, insurance, finance, chemicals and technology. It is perhaps best known internationally for its electronics business, which manufactures mobile phones and has been involved in a protracted IP ‘smartphone war’ with rival Apple over patents, that has led to numerous lawsuits around the world.

Kang was responsible for Samsung’s cross-border patent litigation and as such, his insight into issues at a prominent source of IP work should be valuable to Bae, Kim & Lee.

The firm’s managing partner Sungjin Kim said in a statement that the hire would help the firm meet demand: “We have been dealing with a wide range of IP cases, spanning patents, copyrights and trade secrets, through flexible and proactive cooperation between our attorneys and patent attorneys.”

He added: “We will draw upon our expertise in both domestic and cross-border IP disputes and transactions to facilitate Korean companies to gain entry into overseas markets.”

Along with other recent hires at the firm, Kang is a former judge, who served at the Daejeon District Court, Seoul Central District Court and Patent Court, among others, and was chief research judge and a presiding judge of the Supreme Court. His judicial career focused on IP both in his judgments and academic commentary.